A GOOD teacher makes a lasting impression on pupils. But it takes a truly exceptional teacher to be still remembered more than 100 years after taking over a village school.

Four former pupils - the majority of whom are in their nineties - of Nercwys primary school near Mold thought so much of headmaster Matthew Rees they decided a permanent memorial should be erected in his honour.

On Wednesday they unveiled a Welsh slate plaque in memory of the man who was not only the school's headteacher from 1888-1926, but the village church organist, choir master and much more.

One of his old pupils, 92-year-old William Burton Laird, a retired engineer who lives in New York and who has travelled back to Nercwys every year on his birthday, was unable to attend the ceremony because of illness.

But he contributed to the plaque and sent a message via his cousin Mabyn Pickering, of Rhostyllen in Wrexham.

Mr Laird was Mr Rees's last pupil to win a scholarship to the Mold grammar school.

The driving force behind the memorial was Gladys Lloyd Roberts, 92, of Buckley. Brought up in Pentre Bach, Nercwys, she remembers Mr Rees with great affection.

She attended the unveiling with her sister Mrs Hetty King, 95, of Rhyl, also an ex-pupil of Mr Rees.

According to Mrs Roberts, Mr Rees would have been surprised but delighted he was being remembered so many years later.

Mrs Roberts, who has written two books on the history of Nercwys, said she had been sad there was nothing in the village or at the school to remember the man who did so much for Nercwys.

She said: 'I was his last pupil who became a teacher. Mr Rees was an absolutely wonderful man, as well as being a wonderful headmaster.

'He made all the pupils sing, there wasn't a child in Nercwys who could not sing. He was a thorough Welsh-man. I discovered that his gravestone near Swansea is all in Welsh.

'In those days Welsh was almost frowned on. We never had Welsh lessons and teachers never spoke Welsh to us, but on Friday afternoons we sang from song books which were partly in English and partly Welsh and every child could speak Welsh.'

She added: 'Mr Rees was on all the village committees, he was instrumental in setting up the old Nercwys cheese factory, which was very successful. It closed about 40 years ago.

'He started the choir and played the organ. He retired and moved back to Swansea. His only son died at 18 and was buried there, which is why I think he moved back.'

Apart from Mrs Roberts and Mr Laird, the other original pupils include Mair Edwards (n&#xE9;e Roberts), from Caernarfon, who attended the plaque unveiling with husband Gwilym. Her father, Johnny Roberts, was Mr Rees's first pupil and went on to become a headmaster himself.

The quartet of plaque campaigners was completed by Freda Challoner, of Chester, was in the infants class at the school, where Mr Rees's wife, Margaret, was headmistress for 38 years.

The memorial was unveiled by Flintshire county councillor Gwilym Roberts - an ex-pupil of Mrs Roberts when she taught at Treuddyn village primary school.

Its inscription says: 'This plaque erected here in affectionate remembrance of the late Mr Matthew Rees, who gave faithful service as the headmaster of this school and also as organist and choirmaster of St Mary's Church from 1888 to 1926. He was buried at Llangyfelach, near Swansea, in 1934, aged 72.'